Richard Cromelin

EXECUTIVE FILM EDITOR, Anne Hurley CAPSULES BY Richard Cromelin RESEARCH BY Kathleen Craughwell

* The Grove of Anaheim will present the Go-Go's on Feb. 24 and Ani DiFranco (right) on March 2. Tickets are available now.... Michelle Branch plays the Roxy on Feb. 8, with tickets going on sale Friday.... The Autumns, Parlour, W.A.C.O. and Dick Army play a benefit Jan. 23 at the El Rey Theatre for Damien Echols, who was convicted of murder in the controversial Arkansas case profiled in the HBO movie "Paradise Lost." ...

"A desert," South African author Nadine Gordimer wrote, "is a place without expectation." She clearly wasn't a Rage Against the Machine fan. The band comes to the furnace heat of Indio this weekend with three days of rock and dance music and a show-closing reunion that has brought giddy fans from around the world: Rage is back and playing its first gig since 2000. Guitarist Tom Morello just smiled this week when asked how the band sounds in rehearsals. "Ferocious."

Pavement's music describes a life that alternately flows and lurches, sometimes tentatively feeling its way into a situation, sometimes soaring with pure exhilaration. Fronted by Stephen Malkmus' warm drawl and driven by restless rock-guitar arrangements, the music captures a cascade of impressions and images with a natural charm and an uncommon emotional richness.

Tuesday C-Murder "Screamin' 4 Vengeance" (Priority/Capitol) The New Orleans rapper, under house arrest while awaiting retrial for, yes, murder, addresses his situation with the help of guest artists such as Snoop Dogg and Chamillionaire. Joss Stone "Introducing Joss Stone" (Virgin) Her image gets flashier and more seductive, but she's still the little gal with the big, soulful voice and classic Atlantic Records grooves.

"A desert," South African author Nadine Gordimer wrote, "is a place without expectation." She clearly wasn't a Rage Against the Machine fan. The band comes to the furnace heat of Indio this weekend with three days of rock and dance music and a show-closing reunion that has brought giddy fans from around the world: Rage is back and playing its first gig since 2000. Guitarist Tom Morello just smiled this week when asked how the band sounds in rehearsals. "Ferocious."

In your Holiday Sneaks issue (Nov. 9), Richard Cromelin mistakenly identified John Quincy Adams (a character in the film "Amistad") as a "founding father." He was not. His father, John Adams, was. SCOTT ROSS Raleigh, N.C.

Folsom State Prison: An article in Wednesday's California section about the cancellation of a concert at Folsom State Prison commemorating the 40th anniversary of Johnny Cash's performance there should have credited Times staff writer Richard Cromelin instead of Randy Lewis as a contributor.

Tuesday C-Murder "Screamin' 4 Vengeance" (Priority/Capitol) The New Orleans rapper, under house arrest while awaiting retrial for, yes, murder, addresses his situation with the help of guest artists such as Snoop Dogg and Chamillionaire. Joss Stone "Introducing Joss Stone" (Virgin) Her image gets flashier and more seductive, but she's still the little gal with the big, soulful voice and classic Atlantic Records grooves.

* The Grove of Anaheim will present the Go-Go's on Feb. 24 and Ani DiFranco (right) on March 2. Tickets are available now.... Michelle Branch plays the Roxy on Feb. 8, with tickets going on sale Friday.... The Autumns, Parlour, W.A.C.O. and Dick Army play a benefit Jan. 23 at the El Rey Theatre for Damien Echols, who was convicted of murder in the controversial Arkansas case profiled in the HBO movie "Paradise Lost." ...

EXECUTIVE FILM EDITOR, Anne Hurley CAPSULES BY Richard Cromelin RESEARCH BY Kathleen Craughwell

Pavement's music describes a life that alternately flows and lurches, sometimes tentatively feeling its way into a situation, sometimes soaring with pure exhilaration. Fronted by Stephen Malkmus' warm drawl and driven by restless rock-guitar arrangements, the music captures a cascade of impressions and images with a natural charm and an uncommon emotional richness.

Tell Richard Cromelin to "check his head" ("Beastie Boys Get Back to Basics," July 12). His review of "Hello Nasty" stated "the Beastie Boys have gone six years without releasing an album of new material." "Ill Communication" was released in 1994 and featured such hits as "Sabotage" and "Sure Shot." JEFF DANDURAND Arcadia

Regarding Garth Brooks' entry onto the album charts at No. 2 nationally and No. 3 locally ("Brooks' 'Gaines' Debut Misses on Two Fronts," Oct. 9): Was there no better description for him than Richard Cromelin's reference of "two-time loser"? I know that society tends to revere No. 1's, but this is ridiculous. JEFFREY LUSTMAN Los Angeles